To the union



(No Model.)

B. K. MORRISON.

WORK GUIDING DEVICE FOR SEWING MACHINES.

No. 468,056. Patented Feb. 2, 1892.

V 7' Q I f [lrNVENTOR md WM 7 NITTED STATES PATENT Ormcn.

EDGAR K. MORRISON, OF SOUTH ACIVORTII, NE\V HAMPSHIRE, ASSIGNOR TO THE UNION SPECIAL SElVING MACHINE COMPANY, OF CHICAGO,

ILLINOIS.

WORK-GUIDING DEVICE FOR SEWING-MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 468,056, dated February 2, 1892.

Application filed December 12, 1887- $erial No. 257,613. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern..-

Be it known that I, EDGAR K. MORRISON, of South Acworth, in the State of New Hampshire, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in \Velt-Guiding Attachments for Sewing-Machines, whereof the following is aspecification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

In said drawings, Figure 1 represents a partial front view of the head of a sewing-machine with the attachments applied thereto, showing also in vertical section a piece of cloth with its welt in process of formation. Fig. 2 is a view of the under side of the presser-foot. Fig 3 is a top or plan view of the attachment, certain of the parts shown in Fig. 1 being indicated in horizontal section. Fig. at is a vertical section on the line to w of Fig. 1.

My invention relates, particularly, to the formation of what is known as a blind stitch, such as is commonly employed in the welts or hems of knit underwear; and the chief objects of my invention are to permit the most desirable method of handling the goods, to attain the highest degree of precision in locating the concealed stitch whatever be the thickness of the fabric, and to remove the curl from the margin thereof.

In Fig. 1, A represents a portion of the head of a sewing-machine, having a needlebar B, needle 02, presser-foot C, mounted upon the lower end of the presser-bar D, which is adapted to be shifted vertically in the guidepiece G by means of the ordinary cam-lever M indicates the plane of the work-plate, and N the feed-dog; but the details of these and of the remaining parts of the sewing mechanism are omitted, since their construction is well understood.

Upon the right-hand side of the presser-foot C (as seen from the position of the operator) and immediately adjacent to the needle-hole therein I mount a forwardly-proj ecting guidepiece J, which curves upward to a consider able height, as indicated in Fig. 1. This piece J forms a guide for the folded edge of the fabric through the body of which the blind stitch is to pass.

At the bottom of the folded-edge guide J and immediately in front of the needle is a triangularly-shaped fiat finger I, projecting horizontally toward the left and beneath but at some distance below the upwardly-curved front end of the presser-foot C. I term this piece I the separator-finger.

The needle-hole h in the presser-foot is made quite large to admit of the lateral adjustments, which will presently be described.

As before stated, the pressenfoot is mounted upon the lower end of a presser-bar D, having the usual vertical movement; but in addition to this I provide another bar D parallel thereto and which moves vertically in guides F F. The guide-bar D is attached to the bar D by means of a horizontal crosspiece 6, placed in the open space between the guides F F.

The rear end of the presser-foot C is provided with a collar f, which fits snugly upon the reduced cylindrical lower end of the presser-bar D, (indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1,) and is secured against vertical movement relatively to the presser-bar, while allowed to turn in a horizontal plane, by means of a set-screw a, whose inner end enters a horizontal groove extending partly around the reduced end of the presser-bar I). 'An arm 1) extends rearwardly upward from the collar f and terminates in horizontal bifurcations 0. These bifurcations c c embrace the shank of a set-screw (Z, working in the lower end of the guide-bar D. The shank of the set-screw d has flanges g projecting on each side of the bifurcations c c of the arm I). By the movement of the set-screw d in one direction or the other the arm I) will be shifted, and since the collar f can turn in a horizontal plane upon the lower end of the presser-bar D the presser-foot and its guides will obviously be turned in a horizontal plane, but in an opposite direction. This movement will of course cause the folded-edge guide J to approach or recede from the needle n, and since its distance from the needle must bear a definite relation to the thickness of the fabric the necessary range of adjustment for different goods will be obtained.

Near the front of the work-plate M, I mount an arched finger K, which extends inward and curves toward the right, terminating a little on the right-hand side of the foldededge guide land a short distance (say once sixteenth of an inch) above the work-plate.

The modeof operation is as follows: The fabric having been folded in the usual manner for making a welt with a blind stitch, is placed, as shown in Fig. at, with the folded edge uppermost and in contact with the foldcd-edge guide J and with the separator-finger I extending in beneath the folded edge and between it and the proximate surface of the fabric which is to be stitched thereto. The position of the fabric is the reverse of that found in prior devices for making the blind stitch, the folded edge being generally if not always placed down or in contact with the work-plate.

While the method which I employ (viz., with the folded edge uppermost) is obviously the best one, because the needle first strikes the folded edge and the latter is not concealed from the operators eye during the sewing operation, it has never, so far as I am aware, been practically adopted with hosiery or other thick-bodied fabrics, owing to the difficulty of properly guiding the folded edge. If, on the one hand,'the guide be rigidly attached to the work-plate and of such construction that the margin of the goods cannot pass beneath it, said margin must crowd itself into the space between the work-plate and the folded edge at the risk of displacing the latter. If, on the other hand, a simple edge-guide be attached to the presser-foot, (without my present improvement,) the tendency of the fabric is to shift toward the right under the edge-guide. Such shifting of course spoils the appearance of the work, since the stitches are no longer concealed, but pass entirely through both of the folded surfaces. The use of the separatoriinger which I have invented entirely prevents this slipping or shifting of the fabric toward the right, and hence permits the most desirable method of operation-to wit, s'ewin g with the folded edge uppermost.

Although I consider it best to mount the folded-edge guide and its separator-finger directly upon the'presser-foot, such position is not absolutely essential, since the guide and its attached finger might be mounted upon any other overhanging support, it being only essential that there should be a free passage for the margin of the fabric (as distinguished from the folded edge) beneath the guide-surface. Hence in using the term folded-edge guide in my claims I mean to include any form of guide which is either permanently raised clear of the work-plate, so as to permit the passage of the margin-beneath it without pressure, or which is capable of riding upon said margin, as in the present instance, where the guide is attached to the presser-foot.

The function of the arched finger K is to uncurl the margin of the fabric, and thus direct it beneath the folded-edge guide J, and to effect this purpose it is necessary that its inclined front end should extend diagonally across the path of the curled margin from left to right.- and should terminate a little to the right of the folded-edge guide.

I am aware that in machines for sewing straw braid guides have been used mounted upon blocks adjacent to the presser-foot and having a configuration which in some respects resembles that of my invention; but said guides are not adapted to the purpose to which my invention is limitedviz., the guiding of a folded edge for forminga blind stitch therein. In these prior devices the location of the projecting part (which to the eye resembles my separator-finger) is at the front end of a gage, which is not raised clear of the 'workplate to permit the passage of the margin of the goods beneath.

In my improvement the folded-edge guide is not only in line with the travel of the fabric, but is in the proper relation to the presser-foot to insure the passage of the needle through the body of the fabric, and, furthermore, the separator-finger is not at the front end of said guide, where it would be of little use, but is closely adjacent to the needle, so thatit efficiently prevents the edging away of the fabric.

Having thus described my invention, I claim 1. In a sewingmachine, the combination, with the needle and the work-plate, of a foldededgeguide having an upwardly-curved front end, said edge-guide being arranged to the right of the needle and supported with relation to the work-plate to leave a free passage for the margin of the fabric between the work-plate and the under surface ofthe guide, a separator-finger mounted upon said guide in rear of the upwardly-curved portion thereof and projecting laterally in front of the needle in immediate proximity thereto, and a presser-foot having an upwardlycurved front portion which overhangs said finger, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination of the presser-foot with a folded-edge guide mounted thereon and provided with a separator-finger, a presser-bar to which said presser-foot is pivotally attached, a guide-bar arranged parallel to the presser-bar, an arm connected with the presser-foot, and an adj listing-screw seated in said guide-bar and connected with said arm,whereby the presser-foot and guides may be adj usted in a horizontal plane toward or from the needle, substantially as set forth.

EDGAR K. MORRISON.

Witnesses:

J. O. WILLIAMS, G. W. WoRMAN.

IIO 

